Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West, paints a picture of the lives of two Victorian women who break from tradition to pursue their youthful passions. The author's grandmother and her friend received the best education available to women at the time and still yearned for some real world experiences. Formal education at Smith College, and learning abroad both paled in comparison to the time Dorothy Woodruff spent out West as a "working girl."

Woodruff's granddaughter, Dorothy Wickenden, tells the story of these two individuals who were brought together for nine months in Elkland, Colorado. A portrait emerges of two worlds in 1916--the predictable, comfortable life in the upper-class society of the industrialized East Coast and the remote, hardscrabble life on the western frontier. The author breathes life into the stories of men and women on the frontier by researching and reconstructing Dorothy Woodruff's letters and memorabilia.

This book is a fascinating glimpse into the social milieu of the period, along with insight into the personal lives of two families of considerable social standing in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. The story has it all: romance, intrigue, adventure, politics and family histories.

As she responds to her new life in the wilds of Colorado, Dorothy's exuberance shows as she says, "You simply can't conceive of the newness of this country." The letters are edited in such a way to evoke the gamut of emotions the young women felt on their journey. There are twists and turns in the narrative like the railroad tracks winding through the Rocky Mountains.

Readers interested in the nascent history of women's rights and the related issues of opportunities for women will likely appreciate this author's work, as well as find out what could possibly allure two young women to live in a place so different from their home.

Reviewed by Martha Meacham

The Company We Keep:A Husband and WifeTrue-Life Spy StoryDayna Baer andRobert Baer2011

Dayna and Robert Baer were in the CIA's clandestine service. The first half of the book is a bunch of spy anecdotes from their work on Hezbollah-related issues from Morocco to Central Asia, mostly in Bosnia and Syria. These are good stories, connected by the common set of policy targets but not really tied together in a narrative. Some seem to be heavily cleaned-up by CIA censors, and (perhaps as a result) the chronology is somewhat jumbled. Still, they're good stories.

They get to know each other on a mission in Bosnia and eventually become a couple. There's enough information about parents, former spouses, and Robert's kids to make clear the personal costs of the CIA life. When they leave the agency, their recognition of those costs drives a number of personal choices, which then become the focus of the book. The transition here is very rough, and doesn't really cohere - - in part because they're living well despite having no apparent career, though Robert in particular has a lot of good connections in shady places.

It all comes together in the third part of the book when they settle down, get married, and decide to adopt a child. At that point the book is no longer a spy story.

Reviewed by Arthur Digbee

When Everything Changed:The Amazing Journey of American Women from1960 to the PresentGail Collins2009

From June Cleaver to Hillary Clinton, Gail Collins` new book, When Everything Changed, reminds us of both how much everything has changed for American women in the last 50 years and just how little. Collins writes skillfully about the "olden" days when a glamour career for a woman was to be a stewardess and when the reason most women went to college to get a "Mrs." As accessible as she is on the Op-Ed page of the New York Times, and as wryly funny, Collins illustrates the historical facts with the stories of real women including those whose names we all know (Hilary Clinton, Sarah Palin and Michelle Obama) as well as those we would probably not know unless we read her book.

What Collins does particularly well though is to highlight that there still isn't gender parity in America's workplaces or homes. She ends on a note that celebrates how far we've come with a reality check - the gender pay gap still exists, too few women serve as CEOs or sit on corporate boards and the work-life balance conundrum has yet to be resolved.

When Everything Changed is an inspiring book. If we have forgotten the sacrifices and struggles of women who blazed the trail and take the fact that they changed the world, we should be reminded. And even if we haven't, Collins shows us that we have miles to go before we sleep.Reviewed by Carol Frohlinger

All Bones Be WhiteJudith Yates Shearer2011

All Bones Be White is the story of Cassy, a slave who was owned by a Revolutionary War hero. Cassy was tried for murdering her owner's youngest daughter, Phenaty. Gustavus A. Henry, a 29-year old lawyer distantly related to American patriot PatrickHenry, defended Cassy at her trial. Told in the second person, offering readers intrigue, murder, and redemption, the lives of three women-a slave, a murder victim, and the author as she discovers that her family had owned slaves-are woven together to reveal Cassy's story of what happened in 1833 America and why it still matters today.

Outcasts United:An American Town,A Refuge Team andOne Woman'sQuest to Makea DifferenceWarren St. John2009

Warren St. John tells the incredible stories of an entire program of immigrant soccer players in Clarkston, GA. The incredible part is how these players ("The Fugees") arrived in this Southern town. The players are all refugees from various countries. Each player's family has an amazing survival story from war-torn and politically oppressed areas of the planet. That the team consists of Liberians, Somalis, Sudanese, Kosovars, Iraqis, and other nationalities makes no difference to the players - they just want to play. Also incredible is the dedication of the coach, Luma Mufleh, an American-educated woman from Jordan, who coaches the three soccer teams of Under 13's, Under 15's, and Under 17's. Her story is one of selflessness and dedication to the families of these former refugees. She takes them to the doctor. She buys them groceries. She picks them up to go to movies. But, she coaches soccer as if SOCCER is the true meaning of life: playing hard and with sportsmanship gives the players the skills they need to survive in their new world, she believes.

Nothing comes easy for the team or coach. They have no place to call a 'home' field. They practice on the dirt with no soccer goals. They have no uniforms and many have no soccer cleats. Families have no cars. Parents (and many times the single parent) work an hour away by bus at night leaving players to take care of dinner and younger siblings.

The people The Fugees meet along the way also shows the struggles and surprises that new immigrants encounter upon arriving in America. We can all learn from this book as America itself changes. You'll find yourself wanting this team to succeed and being very proud of its accomplishments in the face of so many adversities. The way Warren St. John intermixes the personal stories with the team and coach stories makes it very clear why the movie rights for this story resulted in a bidding war among the studios.

Founding MothersCokie Roberts2004

Cokie Roberts thoroughly enjoyed writing this tribute to the wives of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and other prominent women of the era . The book begins in the early 1700's. It ends when the presidency of George Washington ends and John Adams is elected, in 1797. I appreciated the notes and the cast of characters including names of thesigners of the Declaration of Independence, the signers of the Constitution, the players in the new government, women writers of the period, and famous soldiers and statesmen during the revolutionary war, which are included in the back of the book.

Excerpts from many letters are included and are so beautifully written.Let your imagination wander as you read vivid accounts of the sacrifices made by families who wanted independence from England - the yellow fever and smallpox epidemics, the building of a military, the contributions made by exceptional women such as Abigail Adams and Martha Washington, as well as Phillis Wheatley, Mercy Otis Warren, Sarah Livingston Jay, and many others portrayed here. Cokie writes as if she is having fun telling us so many interesting facts about the "founding families", and I had fun learning more about them and relearning early American history.

The true story of Benedict Arnold and his wife was enlightening as well as the character of Alexander Hamilton. You will enjoy learning about influential women in this book . Cokie has inserted some of her own remarks to lighten up the picture, and she carefully recounts the contributions of each state as they represented the new government at that time; theconflicts with the British,the alliance with the French. as well as inevitable partisan politics.Reviewed by VL Wilson

Letters of a Woman HomesteaderElinore Stewart2008

The writer of the letters is a young woman who lost her husband in a railroad accident and went to Denver to seek support for herself and her two-year-old daughter, Jerrine. Turning her hand to the nearest work, she went out by the day to work as a housecleaner and laundress. Later, seeking to better herself, she accepted employment as a housekeeper for a well-to-do Scottish cattleman, Mr. Stewart, who had taken up a quarter-section in Wyoming. The letters, written through several years to a former employer in Denver, tell of her new life in the new country. They are genuine letters, and are printed as written, except for occasional omissions and alterations of names.

The letters begin in 1909, apparently right after a homestead act made it possible for the author, Elinore Pruitt Stewart, to claim a homestead of 160 acres in Wyoming. Ms. Stewart is a very resourceful woman as well as a wonderful story-teller. She explains that she never received formal education but she refers to current literature so I am guessing that she has learned to write from her interest in reading. Apparently she was a prolific author in her time and one of her descendants has published a book/

Elinore has a cheerful and pragmatic approach to life making her well-written letters a lot of fun to read. She mostly writes about events, usually involving meeting some of the other inhabitants of the area, ranging from mountain men to Mormons. She loves to go camping and several times recounts setting out on her horse with her baby and camping in the wilderness. She brings very little supplies, catching trout and snaring rabbits for food. She also does some description of her everyday life which apparently was very busy and full of hard work but she always describes it as fulfilling. Reviewed by Snowbrocade

Cast No ShadowMary Lovell1992

This is an interesting, well researched biography (1992) of American-born spy Amy Elizabeth ("Betty") Thorpe Pack, who obtained valuable information that had a significant impact on WW2. This began around 1938 in Warsaw, where her British husband Arthur Pack was a diplomat. She became successively the mistress of two Polish diplomats and thus obtained some of the earliest evidence about Polish progress in breaking the Enigma code, and about Polish foreign minister Beck's connivance with Hitler. At this time she also burgled an office in Czechoslovakia, obtaining Hitler's plans to invade much of Europe. Later, in Washington, she had love affairs with an Italian Admiral, then a Vichy-French diplomat, enabling her to obtain an Italian secret cipher, and then a French one. The capture of these ciphers had important consequences for a naval battle of the British against the Italians, and then for the American invasion of Morocco and Algeria.

Why was she so successful? Certainly she combined a very sharp mind with an attractive physique. But one of the key things was that she formed real emotional attachments to her "targets". She didn't just offer sex. She didn't have to fake her love, because she really felt it (but she considered this a weakness in a spy). After the war she continued to live with the French diplomat that she "turned" (Charles Brousse), and she finally married him after Arthur Pack's death.Reviewed by Peter Clarke

The Red Leather Diary: Reclaiming a Life through the Pages of aLost JournalLily Koppel2008

K. Huff In 2003, a young journalist for the New York Times named Lily Koppel discovers the diary of Florence Wolfson, age 14, in a discarded steamer trunk on the Upper West Side. Investigation leads her to find out that Florence is still living. Upon visiting the 90-year-old, Florence tells Lily her story, of growing up in New York in the 192os and `30s. Florence grew up in an affluent Jewish family, and kept the diary for five years, from age 14 to 19. She was an active writer and artist. Florence attended a private girls' school and then Hunter College (then all women and now co-ed and part of the CUNY system), where she was active in the college literary magazine. Along the way she experimented with same-sex relationships and agonized over the behavior of boys, eventually marrying a childhood friend.

It seems like your typical coming-of-age story, except for the fact that Florence's is very much of the place and era she grew up in. Little facts about New York City are revealed: for example, for thirty years, there were little statues of Mercury mounted on top of all the stoplights in the city. That was one of the biggest draws of this book. Florence had a pretty average New York City childhood, all things considered; and adding in those little bits of arcane trivia really spiced things up for me.

Reviewed by K huff

And His Lovely WifeConnie Schultz2007

So many political memiors are thank you notes to supporters or influential people who can advance a politician's career. But, Ms. Schultz's book provides an outsider a view to the inside of a political campaign as well as to her inner most thoughts (at times) when it came to dealing with her own identity issues. As the book (and campaign) progresses, the reader can see how the humor and energy changes. This is a great read that will take you, from the wife's perspective, through the underbelly of how campaign strategy works and how the opponent's tricks play upon the candidate. It will take you, as well, through the inter mind workings of an intelligent woman who had to change her life and put her career on hold to support someone she loves.

This is not your normal political read. You do not need to be a "political junkie" to enjoy it. Anyone who has ever evaluated their own life, or had to deal with society's stereotypes of how wives and women are to "be"; or just want a good read with humor and insight on life thrown in, will enjoy this book.

Reviewed by Fleka Anderson

The Girl I Left BehindJudith Nies2008

Judith Nies focuses on the sixties in terms of both her personal and professional lives. After earning a graduate degree in 1962, Ms. Nies could not find a job. Social norms dictated that women's roles were limited to wife and mother. Nies writes: "A successful college woman of the era was supposed to have an engagement ring on her finger by the end of her senior year." Campus recruiters encouraged her to take a job as a receptionist or customer service rep.

Nies' husband, Mac, was an economist working at the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. When he's called into the office of security agents, he is shown a file compiled by the FBI that pertains to Judith. Mac explains to his wife that it was customary for family members to be included in a security clearance. Judith was still in her twenties. What could possibly concern the FBI? Thus begins the weaving of professional with personal, and the stretch and strength that led to this memoir.

Judith gets a job as an aide to ten Congressmen. Her job is considered "the most interesting job in Washington." Nies uses her unique professional experience to examine women's history, which includes the institutionalized gender discrimination that oppresses and subjugates women. Nies is faced with hostile work environments filled with sexual innuendo, disparities of income, and credit reserved for men only. Judith must also make impossible personal decisions limited by the mores of the time.

Judith Nies views the sixties with clarity so that readers are able to see how the collective feminist consciousness evolves. The Girl I Left Behind is as much of a history of social cause and effect as it is a personal memoir of Nies challenges and changes. We are reminded to not take our rights and privileges for granted because they were hard-won by enlightened, intelligent women such as Judith Nies.

This book is important for its explanation of women's history, as well as the exploration of gender inequalities in our society. Also, an individual woman will find herself examining her place in the world as it pertains to the roles that are still being defined.

Reviewed by Lynn Tolson

Rebecca's RevivalJon Sensbach2005

This was a great book overall. It was factual history that has been obscured and hidden for 400 years. We have been fed the stories of the "great white hope" who came to "save" the slaves from their heathenish African ways. This book clearly counters that claim by asserting that it was through the African slaves themselves that Christianity spread in the caribbean. It is well documented and purely factual. Anytime the author made a statement of opinion that wasn't quite factual he said "maybe", or "perhaps". Overall, it was an excellent book. It was somewhat of a difficult read, but it never hurts to expand your vocabulary!

Reviewed by MJ Adams

My Beloved WorldSonia Sotomayor2013

In her moving, detailed memoir, Justice Sotomayor gives us a passionate and riveting account in what is a both unique and universal story. Whatever our path, wherever the "world" we grew up in, or are growing up in, we can only be moved by her astute observations, her compassion and her unique ability to turn even the darkest episodes of life into positive life's lessons. This force us, at the end of each chapter, to pause, reflect, feel and gently smile. Her persistence, realism, sense of humor and of social duty, give us inspiration, help for a deeper understanding of our neighbors and force us-gently but firmly-to be more mindful of the world we share.I have already given her beautiful book to my mentees, a few friends and students. For students who share with Jutice Sotomayor the fate of growing up in a milieu where the odds of going to college are incredibly low, her book can be read as a "manual to another world" in which they can find not only a validation of their struggles, but a path to follow, and the tools to make us stronger. By sharing her story, Ms. Sotomayor is doing the ultimate "public service"

Reviewed by Bernadette Grosjean

The Astronauts Wives ClubLily Koppel2013

The astronauts of the early space program were cookie-cutter men, selected from a pool with almost identical backgrounds, education, training and emotional range. Their women most certainly were not.

From aviatrix Trudy Cooper to proto-feminist Rene Carpenter, Lily Koppel's book The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story brings these fascinating characters to life. Rivers of ink were spilled at the time describing the most mundane aspects of these womens' lives, but these rivers served only to pour them into neat little molds, like their husbands. Koppel has finally smashed these molds, and she has done it with a velvet pen. Tough, resilient, and in some cases obviously brighter than their astronaut husbands, I am left to wonder if they wouldn't have made for a much more interesting space program had they been on the other side of the picket fence....

Dishy without gossip, revealing without scandal, brilliantly written, "The Astronaut Wives Club" fired up the imagination and has me wanting more. Although it's a great summer read, there is so much juicy subtext that I will have to read it again...before summer even starts.

Reviewed by Daniel Watts

The Girls of Atomic CityDenise Kiern2013

This is a valuable piece of social history not only on the Manhattan Project and the role in it played by Oak Ridge, TN, but also the lives of the women who worked there, how their experience changed their lives, what they did in preparing the materials for the USA's atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and how they felt about it, then and now. The book is vivid in its details of how the women interviewed remembered their days in Oak Ridge, and how their experiences played out in the larger patterns of their lives, before and after World War II. Denise Kiernan is to be congratulated on the ways she has enabled the women of the Manhattan Project to tell their own tales, and lovingly presenting their testimonies before the last of them pass on from this life. The book comes with many photos then and now of the women and their work, as well as a useful study guides for book clubs and informal study groups.

Reviewed by Dr Dennis McCann

Ada Blackfoot: A True Story of Survival in the ArcticJennifer Niven2003

This is a very interesting true story, of four young men lured to their deaths in the polar regions by V. Steffanson's tales of the "Friendly Arctic" where survival was easy. With minimal arctic experience, the four undertake an expedition to "claim" Wrangel Island for Canada (even though Canada did not want it and the island was known by all to belong to Russia.) Poorly planned, poorly equipped, and poorly executed, the fumbling expedition establishes a camp on Wrangel Island, raises the Canadian and British flags, and hunkers down to a slow demise of abandonment by V. Steffanson.

Ada Blackjack, a young Eskimo woman hired by the four to serve as seamstress, is recruited from Nome Alaska. Though descended from Eskimo people, she knows more of the "white men's" culture than her own, being able to read and write, etc. At first reluctant to undertake her responsibilities, as the privations of the expedition set in she becomes a stalwart support to the others, cooking, making arctic clothing from skins, etc. After three of the men sled off across the frozen sea on a hopeless gambit to get to Siberia for help, never to be seen again, Ada is left alone with the remaining member of the expedition, who is dying of scurvy. Left to her own resources, Ada teaches herself to hunt, trap, shoot, and build boats, recalling techniques and skills observed during childhood from observing her forebears. Ada faces her greatest fear, the dread "Nanook" (polar bears) that roam the island. Fighting starvation, hopelessness, and sickness, Ada valiantly strives to keep the remaining expedition member alive, only to see him slowly waste away from his sickness and die. Ada sojourns another two months before a rescue ship finally arrives, finding her to be the sole survivor of the expedition after over two years.

Returning to civilization, Ada is exploited by her rescuer and by V. Steffanson, who also exploit the memories, diaries, and belongings of the doomed expedition members. The book recounts Ada's subsequent life, trying to raise her sons and make a living in a world no less harsh and unforgiving than the one she had known in the arctic.Reviewed by DS Bornus

Book Of Ages: The Life and Opinions of Jane FranklinJill Leopre2013

This remarkable history links the great Benjamin Franklin to his little-known younger sister, Jane Franklin Mecom, and in doing so explores the meaning and scope of history itself. The brother and sister, one of whom is justly celebrated for statecraft, diplomacy, and science; the other who toiled in obscurity raising (and mostly losing) children, grand-children and great-grand-children, maintained a remarkable camaraderie throughout their lives. Drawing on the few surviving letters of Jane (and the many of Benjamin), the author attempts to reconstruct the life of this spirited and intelligent woman who has been so overshadowed by her brother.

The book is not exactly a biography of Jane Mecom; in fact it's hard to classify. It is also a history of the colonial era in America, the American revolution, the culture and way of life in those times, the hardships experienced by most people, the few opportunities for women to express themselves, their limited education, the poor state of medicine in those days, the outrageous infant mortality, and the sad fate of the mentally ill. And, the author says, that's what history is really about--people who were more celebrated in fiction than in what was thought of as history. All that, rather than the names, dates, battles, and accomplishments of a few giants.

Author Jill Lepore has written a work of vast scholarship, drawing on a range of sources, that is also interesting, entertaining, and endearing. The characters come vividly to life, with all their struggles and suffering; and the emerging nation, the United States, as well. In fact author Lepore has created an amazing work from the scant historical traces of her subject, Jane. If you are at all interested in the founding generation of Americans, their lives and their times, you will love this book. It's not always easy reading, and I must admit I had difficulty keeping all the names straight. At times the author becomes just a bit preachy about the unfair treatment of women. A vast scholarly apparatus is included for those who want to pursue the material in more depth. I recommend this one highly.Reviewed by Louis Gruber

Rage for Fame: The Ascentof Clare Booth LuceSylvia Jukes Morris1997

This is simply a wonderfully entertaining, well-researched, and delightful read. The author has done a tremendous job fleshing out the multifaceted career and personality of the complex Clare Boothe Luce, showing us what an exceptionally driven individual she is. One cannot help conclude that a childhood really does have enormous influence upon the adult, and Luce's drama-filled and chaotic background will resonate with all those who have had similar dysfunctional upbringings. The book draws almost by accident the remarkable similarity between mother and daughter: in a nutshell, Clare could not have become who she was without her mother, Ann, in her own right an extraordinary woman. I would recommend this book to all readers, but especially female readers, for its beautifully delineated outline of what one woman is capable of achieving. Reviewed by Sanguine

This is an excellent read for those who may be writing stories on Mail order brides.And for those of you who just like history too.Though all her tales are hardly fairy,they are real.You feel compassion for these women who were our forebearers.The book is laid out well and very informative.The sentiment of these stories is very touching.I very much recommend this for any history or women's history lover!Reviewed by S. Forbess

As a non-historian who wishes she could time travel, I gravitate to biography, occasionally whetting my appetite upon historical fiction (albeit with a guilty sigh). I enjoy the escape into other eras where people thought, dressed, talked, and acted differently than they do today. "Alice" filled this need as few biographies do with as much detail paid to her context as to the subject herself. The result is a satisfying read about a highly imaginable, three-dimensional Alice Roosevelt Longworth. Stacy Cordery's detailed and insightful descriptions introduced me to a woman I had never heard of - and yet she was more popular than Shirley Temple at the height of her popularity! By the time I was finished with the book, I wanted to have tea with this political princess. I felt I had a new grasp of a bygone era and a different perspective of Theodore Roosevelt, too. How fun to realize while his leadership of the country was happening on stage, Alice's backstage antics threatened to steal the show. You don't have to love Alice to appreciate her place in history. And if the era doesn't particularly lure you, Cordery's smart and engaging prose and analysis should.Reviewed by History Buff

Michelle Obama: A Life
Peter Slevin
2015

Peter Slevin's biography of
First Lady Michelle Obama draws you in from the very first page. He
begins with her own words, spoken at the graduation ceremony at a high
school in a troubled black neighborhood. By doing so, he sets the stage
for Mrs. Obama's life story, the daughter of working class parents who
rose to prominence despite the overwhelming odds against her.The
story is delightfully told. Mr. Slevin enlivens the narrative not only
with Michelle Obama's words but of scores of people whose lives have
intersected with hers. And the quotes are entertaining! One woman who
says she would have predicted that Michelle would become president
rather than her husband, uses a moniker you might hear on the streets
instead of in the halls of power (bad- you-can-guess).

After
opening with the First Lady's words, the author backtracks to her family
and childhood upbringing. Again, he casts his net wide as an
interviewer, finding people who knew her parents, people who went to
school with Michelle, people who have worked with her. He paints a
picture of the times, and what it was -- and is -- like to be black in
both her parents' time and her own.

The biography is, thankfully,
not a standard-issue work of hagiography. The author doesn't shy way
from the First Lady's missteps, like the time she wore designer sneakers
to work in a soup kitchen. He also repeats unflattering, and downright
nasty, comments from both Internet trolls and high-profile critics
alike. By doing so, he draws attention to the damned-if-you-do,
damned-if-you-don't role of the First Lady.

This enjoyable read
is helped along by the fact that Michelle is a colorful personality who
is in touch with not only her own generation, but younger generations as
well -- she who tweets, dances with Jimmy Fallon, and performs in
comedy skits. I have always appreciated her efforts to bring healthier
habits to the nation's families and schools, so it was good to hear more
about those initiatives. Perhaps most of all, I enjoyed learning about
her role as "The Closer," a nickname she earned for her adept work on
her husband's presidential election campaigns.

I am a very
apolitical person and do not generally seek out articles or books having
anything to do with politics, but even with the unavoidable political
content of this biography, Mr. Slevin's book is a very enjoyable read,
whichever side of the aisle you're on.Reviewed by NB Kennedy

​Sisters in LawLinda Hirshman2015

How much could Supreme Court justices who came from different halves of the country and who were nominated by presidents of different parties really have in common? Actually a surprising amount, if they are the first two women on the Court: Sandra Day O’Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Hirshman’s joint biography of the two women, Sisters In Law, may look imposing, but it is an extremely compelling look at the lives of the two women and the ways in which their vastly different upbringings brought them to such an elite club. Hirshman is clearly extremely knowledgeable about legalities, political realities, and the day-to-day lives of both women. She presents them in such a rich and engaging manner that the pages will fly by as readers begin to understand the huge extent to which both women have shaped the lives of today’s American women.— reviewed by Jen Karsbaek,

Edith Kermit Roosevelt: Portrait of a First LadySylvia Morris​1980

Theodore Roosevelt was a "phenom," and it turns out that Edith Kermit Roosevelt was his equal in intellect, athleticism, love of nature, and parenthood. Drawing upon a cache of diaries and letters written by Edith that recently came to light, the author documents Edith's childhood, marriage, motherhood, work as a first lady, relationships with extended family members, friendships with some of the great minds of the time, and, finally, widowhood. The book is a fast read. The only thing lacking is more of the author's insights into Edith. Morris stays neutral throughout.Reviewed by Linda

My Life on the RoadGloria Steinem​2015

I taught women's studies for years so I am very familiar with Steinem's work and life. Even so, this book surprised me with its warmth and insight. It is not a biography but more of a road journal. It is not crafted by chronology but by memory and thought stream. I found it very engaging and moving. The opening dedication was heart rending for those of us who lived in those years.

Steinem is the half generation between me and my mother. In the late 60's as my mother was ironing we were watching TV. The women's movement was considered radical fringe, even to my mother's peers who had built planes and careers during WWII only to be sent home afterwards. My mother watched Steinem on TV and said "she is so brave". I asked why and she said "she is so beautiful she could have had an easy life. She has chosen a hard road. It will make your life better". The absurd in the 1960s is now law of the land. It is with that in mind I read this book and appreciated the context of her travels and impact.

​Reviewed by Quickbeam

​Read My Pins:Stories of a Diplomat's Jewel BoxMadeline Albright2009

This book has it all--history, art, intrigue, optimism, politics, sensitivity and beauty.People who lived through the 90s will enjoy the perspective that Madeleine Albright gives on her times as Ambassador to the U.N. and as Secretary of State. She also shares parts of her personal life. The photographs of her pins and and others are beautifully exhibited on the pages close to the text related to them.I loved this book as a follow-up to seeing the exhibit of her pins at the Bowers Museum.

Reviewed by Barbara Strouton

As a female combat veteran I was cautiously optimistic about this book. As a female vet. it is so difficult to describe your experiences accurately without sounding either whiney or over aggressive. She walks the line extremely well and gives insight on how things actually are when you are deployed. Having to re-affirm your talent and fortitude again and again and again to every new male that you encounter becomes extremely taxing and it becomes very difficult to maintain a positive attitude and power through. Thank you for telling our stories and for standing up for the female soldiers, airman, sailors and marines that will come after us.MJ does an admirable job of telling her story thoroughly and appears to be very self aware of how others may interpret the situations differently. I related to many many experiences that she describes in the book and applaud her service, courage and fortitude. Slowly but surely, the military WILL be fully integrated for all jobs due to people like her and thousands of others who have served their country with honor and integrity. When the $#it hits the fan, no one cares what chromosome you have as long as you can get the job done. Oorah Major Hegar. Oorah!​Reviewed by Lauren

Firebrand and the First LadyPatricia Bell-Scott​2016

​I always love reading more about the remarkable life that Eleanor R led but to learn for the first time about Pauli Murray & her amazing life story...so empowering to see first hand how Pauli reached out to the First Lady AND Eleanor reached back - beginning a remarkable friendship, with progressive activism at the heart of their relationship. Great book! Excellent writing & great material.

Reviewed by Tommielou

UnbelievableKaty Tur​2017

​Katy Tur is the NBC correspondent who covered Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. In that position she endured his continued abuse as well as the abuse of his followers. Early in the campaign in New Hampshire, Trump booms out: “’Katy hasn’t even looked once at me.’” Another time he says to her: “’Be quiet.’” In one rally he opines that “she’s back there, little Katy.’” Then he calls her a liar and a ‘”third-rate reporter [three times in case anyone missed his harangue].’” He calls into Fox & Friends and says that Katy Tur “’knows nothing about my campaign . . . she’s a, you know, not a very good reporter.’” And Trump even gives Tur an unwanted big kiss on her cheek on one occasion.

Trump’s protestors are just as bad, calling her a c—t, and going after her family and threatening her. One man actually spits in her face. She finally gets private security for all the rallies as they get rowdier.

Mr. Tur, however, in her book UNBELIEVABLE gets the last word but certainly not the last laugh. She also says in her Prologue that she hired a fact-checker, went through volumes of documents, e-mails, and videos and checked her memory with other reporters to insure that her book is accurate. The result is a well-developed and unbiased-as-possible account of what she saw throughout the Trump candidacy and ultimate victory party on election night.

This writer, who by the way, has a great sense of humor, also includes information about her parents, a lost boyfriend, a potential new boyfriend and her own feelings and fears as she zig-zags across the U. S. following Trump.

reviewed by Foster Corbin

Chasing HillaryAmy Chozick​2018

​Part campaign history, part memoir, the book almost reads like the author was the one running for POTUS. From the title, you'd think that the author was going to compare/contrast her 2008 reporting on HRC with her 2016 reporting on HRC, drawing conclusions about why HRC lost again. Instead, the book is mainly about the author, with HRC's 2016 campaign as a background. And a continual mantra of "HRC hates me, The Guys (HRC's press shop) hate me", repeated on every other page. (say her name slowly - "A - me", "me" being the operative word).

That being said, the author is brilliant at capturing the color and characters of the campaign. If the author had spent less time focusing on losing her power cords, her frizzy hair, her neglected spouse, and more time with some analysis, she could have been a White or a Cramer or a Germond/Witcover. Instead, the book is like listening to a football game and only getting the color commentary, not the actual action on the field.

Ashley's WarGayle Lemmon​2015

If you've ever wondered about women in the military, or about how special forces like Rangers work, this is the book for you. Or even if you have never had the slightest curiosity about these things, you'll find this book interesting, especially if you're a woman. I'm not going to spoil the ending, but the story focuses on Ashley white, who was a top athlete, and wanted to participate in really making a defference in some important role in the military. Her chance came when the US started a program for embedding women with the Rangers in Afghanistan, so that they could deal with women and children. It's a great insult to the Afghanis to have men not of the family, to be seeing or talking wo women. Hence the crucial need for a woman who could manage the rigors of the searches the Rangers did at night, but who could reassure the women and children that she was a female soldier, and would not let the men come into their sanctuary. You learn about the training, the rigors, the bonding of the women who did their training together, and took on this challenge. These are women of the highest caliber, and by the end of the book, you feel you know them intimately, going with them on mission, seeing what they do, enduring what they endure, and being awed at their physical strength and skill. I highly recommend this book.

reviewed by Jeannie Stuckey

My Year With EleanorNoelle Hancock​2011

Sometimes people forget a memoir is very personal---like reading someone's diary. I don't think this book was meant to be a literary work of art, but rather, an inspirational journey of self-discovery that the author was brace enough to share. It's funny, energetic, and uplifting! It's for someone who wants a quick, easy read to help you lose yourself in your own reality for as long as you like. I've read all sorts of books and this was is simple and sweet exactly what I needed at the time!

​reviewed by Simple and Sweet

HavenRuth Gruber2010

Ruth, aside from her deep love for humanity, is a courageous woman with high ideals. I read a part of history I did not know about; a part of history that took place in my day. Oswego, New York? I lived so near that area yet had never heard of the refugees who gathered there. I found it fascinating that these rescued folks had trouble getting along, once brought to this country and it saddened me. It also tells me of the complexity of rescuing folks from other cultures and lands and how difficult that can be. Now we are faced with similar issues and the answers are not as simple as I thought them to be. Before reading this book I thought, "Sure. Bring the refugees in and we will give them a home, jobs, schooling." Now I clearly see the challenges lying ahead for all of us. Integrating other cultures into our society is a huge challenge.